Andy Flower today ordered the England players not to let their families distract them from the serious business of retaining the Ashes.

Many of the squad's wives, girlfriends and children arrived here in Perth today, the first time the players have seen them since they left for Australia on 30 October — 44 days ago.

The families will be allowed to stay with the squad until the end of the Ashes, which concludes in Sydney on 8 January, before returning to England but Flower will not allow the team to drop their guard.

Kevin Pietersen was known to be unhappy that his wife Jessica and son Dylan were not permitted to join him for the whole tour but England coach Flower said: "We're 1-0 up in the Ashes and we're here to win the Test series. We aren't here for a family holiday. I think everyone's handled it just fine so far.

"It shouldn't be a distraction if everyone reacts maturely to the different dynamics but these decisions are quite tricky to make. Adults want to be free to make their own decisions about where they travel, so for the management to make them on their behalf is a little galling.

"Someone has to make them, though, and we try to get it as right and as fair as possible.

"You can't get everyone to agree with the dates you decide but in the end the players did react very well to the situation."

Flower proved he was prepared to be flexible by allowing Jimmy Anderson to return home for the birth of his daughter — his second child — last Friday.

The fast bowler was due to land back in Australia today, meaning a round trip of nearly 20,000 miles inside a week.

Although Flower accepted last week that the players' families' lives took precedence over their careers in such cases, he knows that the situation is not perfect.

Anderson will be expected to participate in full practice sessions alongside his team-mates tomorrow and on Wednesday before the Third Test begins at the WACA on Thursday.

"You can't always get perfect preparation," Flower conceded. "There are all sorts of things that can go wrong. Illness, injury, sometimes travel disruptions and family issues.

"There are all sorts of factors that can come into professional sportsmen's preparation that could distract them. This is just one of those things you've got to deal with.

"It's not ideal preparation for him or us but we'll get the right amount of rest and training into him over the next few days and hopefully he'll be fine come the start of the Test."

The bouncy surface expected at the WACA means Chris Tremlett is the clear favourite to replace the injured Stuart Broad, who is still with the squad, in the bowling attack. The Perth wicket is thought to have regained some of its speed and menace after a few docile years and Flower welcomed the news that the WACA seems to be back to its old self.

"We're pretty clear in our minds who will replace Broad," he said. "We'll tell the squad the XI the day before the game.

"The groundsman, Cameron Sutherland, indicated after our tour game here in November that he wanted the wicket as quick and bouncy as possible for the Test match, which I think is really exciting for everyone.

"It gives everyone a chance and in Test cricket these are the types of wickets we want to play on. Some of the bland pitches that produce huge scores and deadly boring draws are not good for Test cricket, so we want pitches where it's a fair contest between bat and ball and good action for the spectators to watch."